A Xinhua correspondent aboard a Chinese IL-76 plane said the aircraft took off at an airport in Perth to continue search in the sea area where suspicious objects had been spotted.

China has sent two IL-76 planes to Australia to join the search for missing Flight MH370. On Monday, the searching crew sighted two relatively big floating objects in the southern Indian Ocean.

Citing the forecast of strong gale force winds, periods of heavy rain and low cloud, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) suspended all sea and air search operations for Tuesday.

Chinese icebreaker Xuelong on Tuesday reached the area where suspicious objects had been sighted, while the merchant ship Zhonghaishaohua arrived in waters where French satellites spotted suspicious items, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Another Chinese naval fleet consisting of supply ship Qiandaohu, missile destroyer Haikou and amphibious transport dock Kunlunshan was expected to arrive in the waters southwest of the Australian west coast city of Perth on Wednesday.

Chinese vessels Haixun 01 and Nanhaijiu 101 were heading for the area where an Australian satellite spotted suspicious items, Hong said.

AMSA said a total of 12 planes were expected to join the search on Wednesday, the 19th day after Flight MH370, with 239 people onboard, including 154 Chinese, went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in the early hours of March 8.